A major bridge collapsed in the US port of Baltimore in the early hours of Tuesday after being struck by a container ship, plunging cars and as many as 20 people into the river below.
Rescuers were searching for survivors in the Patapsco Riverafter huge spans of the 2.57 km Francis Scott Key Bridge crumpled into the water.
As many as 20 people could be in the river along with “numerous vehicles, and possibly a tractor-trailer or a vehicle as large as a tractor-trailer, (that) went into the river,” Kevin Cartwright, the spokesperson for Baltimore City Fire Department, told Reuters.
“This is a mass-casualty, multi-agency event,” he said. “This operation is going to extend for many days.”
A live video posted on YouTube showed the ship ploughing into the bridge in darkness. The headlights of vehicles could be seen on the bridge as it crashed down into the water and the ship caught fire.
Reuters could not immediately verify the videos.
“We received several 911 calls at around 1:30 am, that a vessel struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing the collapse,” Cartwright said.
State of emergency declared
Maryland Governor Wes Moore declared a state of emergency. He said in a statement the state was “working with an interagency team to quickly deploy federal resources from the Biden Administration.” The FBI in Baltimore said on X its personnel were “on scene”.
Baltimore is the busiest US port for car shipments, handling more than 750,000 vehicles in 2022, according to data from the Maryland Port Administration.
It was not immediately clear if any other vessels had been damaged or whether operations had halted to and from the port, shipping and insurance sources said.
Ship tracking data from LSEG shows a Singapore-flagged container ship, the Dali, at the location along the Key Bridge where the accident occurred.
The registered owner of the ship is Grace Ocean Pte Ltd and the manager is Synergy Marine Group, LSEG data shows.
Synergy said that a Singapore-flagged container ship “Dali” collided with one of the pillars of the bridge and that all its crew members, including the two pilots have been accounted for and there were no reports of any injuries.
Photo taken from the X feed @HarforCoFireEMS Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS showing a portion of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, US, collapsed after a large boat collided with it. Source: AAP / Harford County, MD Volunteer Fire & EMS/PA/Alamy
The vessel was chartered by shipping company Maersk MAERSKb.COat the time of the accident, the Danish company said in a statement.
“We are horrified by what has happened in Baltimore, and our thoughts are with all of those affected,” Maersk said.
The Dali was set to depart Baltimore early on Tuesday and arrive at Colombo on April 22, according to a schedule on Maersk’s website.
Reuters could not immediately reach Grace Ocean for comment.
“I-695 Key Bridge collapse due to ship strike,” the Maryland Transportation Authority (MTA) posted on X, calling it an “active scene”.
Earlier, the MTA had said that the interstate lanes in both directions were closed due to an “incident” on the bridge and that traffic was being redirected.
“I’m aware of and en route to the incident at the Key Bridge… Emergency personnel are on scene, and efforts are underway,” Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on X.
What do we know about the Francis Scott Key bridge?
The Francis Scott Key Bridge spanning the Patapsco River is named after the author of the Star Spangled Banner, who was inspired to write the words in 1814 after witnessing the British defeat at the Battle of Baltimore.
The 2.57km outer crossing of the Baltimore Harbour opened in March 1977 as the final link in I-695 (the Baltimore Beltway).
The bridge, at an estimated cost of USD $110 million, allowed for more traffic lanes and carried lower operating and maintenance costs than a tunnel.
